Get ready Long Beach because Walmart is reimagining select stores nationwide to experiment with a new concept—one that aims to transform the vast parking lots outside its box stores into fitness, entertainment and dining experiences.
One of the eight retail corporation’s chosen locations includes the Walmart Supercenter within the Long Beach Towne Center at 7250 Carson Blvd.
The Long Beach location would feature a two-phase development plan that will include food, beverage, wellness and entertainment to the existing layout, according to Walmart’s website.
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The development would also include “a carefully curated mix of local, regional and national dining tenants,” a driving range and the health club chain Lifetime Fitness.
Other selected locations include Loveland, Colorado; Rogers, Arkansas; Springfield, Missouri, Garland, Texas; Lee’s Summit, Missouri; Windsor Heights, Iowa; and Gresham, Oregon.
Some “reimagined centers” would feature storage container based facilities, off-site retail locations where other businesses can “contribute to the local economy” on a Walmart owned site, food halls and food trucks, as well as partnerships with other businesses inside the stores.
Officials revealed the “Walmart Reimagined” concepts at a conference hosted by the International Council of Shopping Centers last week.
“We want to provide community space — areas for the community to dwell,” said L.B. Johnson, Walmart’s vice president of U.S. realty operations, at the conference. “We want to provide pedestrian connectivity from our box to the experiential zones that are planned on our footprint. We want to augment these experiences and activities with more food-and-beverage, with health-and-fitness, essential services and entertainment.”
It is unclear when these projects are slated to begin. To find out more about the Long Beach location click here. To read more about the “Walmart Reimagined” concept click here.
2018 0525; Walmart Long Beach from Massa Multimedia Architecture on Vimeo.